Echoes of the Checkered Past: Rediscovering Chess After 25 Years

25 years is a considerable span. A quarter of a century typically marks the time it takes for a person to complete their educational journey, the cycle of a human generation, and the duration for the human brain to fully develop. It's also the minimum time used to define a sentence as a "life sentence," and it can be the timeframe for constructing towns for thousands of people. Indeed, it's a substantial amount of time.

However, what if these years are not spent constructively? In my case, 25 years have passed without engaging in something I once excelled at: playing chess. During my teens, I held a prominent position in the chess microcosm, considered a "promising prospect" with people attending my games to learn. It was an ego booster for a 14-year-old. Yet, my teacher's advice shifted my focus to academics, and I gradually faded away from the checkered kingdom. "You're overdoing it," my teacher said. "Nobody lives off chess; it is a privilege only a few in the world are able to have." The bank sponsoring my chess team contacted me several times, but I had to decline, forging a future beyond chess. Now, in my 40s, I have the opportunity to reclaim my position in that kingdom. Here are my thoughts during this process:

"Alright! Let's do it! chess.com it is."
"These first 5 games were easy. No wonder, the system is matching me with 1300 players, where my peak was at 1850" (little did I know, 1300 today is not the same as 1300 25 years ago).
"Okay, why did I do that? I'm giving away material for free, but no problem—I've dug myself out of worse holes... Phew, it was rough, but I won."
...
...
"Why did I just lose against a 1400 in an opening line that I specialized in?"
This realization hit me hard, especially with my genetic markers for Alzheimer's—the fear I dread the most. Seeking guidance, I turned to Reddit, where I asked, "Am I too old?" The responses I gathered conveyed a common message:

"Don't expect to run a marathon without training if you haven't walked for 25 years."
"Back in your time, chess theory was something very few people had access to. Today, everyone is an amateur at it, thanks to the internet."
"1400 today is not what it used to be; there's 95% of chess players below that ranking. You're not a Grand-Master, but you haven't 'lost it' per se."
(The next one was a private message from someone I believe I know, given the content he usually shares):

"All you need is to unlock all those things you know but have stashed away because of the lack of use. I expect to see you later at the other side of my chessboard."
In summary, I'm not old; I'm just out of shape. Let's see where this leads. I may or may not keep you updated.